


Roaring 20s

by enbyred



Series: Pray for the Wicked [5]
Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Panic Attacks, Rose is good and pure, Self-Worth Issues
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-04
Updated: 2019-03-04
Packaged: 2019-11-12 01:48:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,369
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18001490
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/enbyred/pseuds/enbyred
Summary: Marinette hates big parties in the fashion world. They make her realize how much she's changed, but she has Rose to bring her back to her roots.





	Roaring 20s

**Author's Note:**

> Based off Panic! at the Disco's [Roaring 20s](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HWSqv-xsc5o)

Her laugh carried on the night air. She knew that it blended in perfectly with the clinking of wine glasses. She had practiced to make it sound perfect, and that was exactly the issue. Not a single laugh she had offered all evening had been genuine.

“Did you make your dress yourself, Miss Dupain-Cheng?” asked a designer whose name she already forgot. “Or did you ask an employee to make it? No judgement if you weren’t involved in the assembling of your clothes.”

Marinette glanced down at her mint green sheath dress. She had purposefully chosen the color of Adrien’s eyes, and he had helped her decide on a shape for it. The silver sash around her waist and the red pin fastening it in place were completely her own design, and Adrien had melted the moment he saw her in the full ensemble.

“I made it myself,” she replied confidently. “My husband pitched in some ideas, but everything else was me.”

The designer nodded approvingly, shifting his eyes over the sash with what Marinette recognized as thinly veiled as judgment. He gave her a well-rehearsed fake smile and lifted his glass to her. “It’s so good to have you join us tonight. I wish you the best in your journey. The industry isn’t easy, but you’ve already shown that you’re up to the task. Enjoy the party.”

He swept away from her with grace and she finished off her glass of wine. The invitation stated that she was allowed to bring a plus one, but Adrien was behind on grading, and he didn’t want to ruin his five-star review as a teacher. Alya was out of town, but made her promise to take her to the next event. Even Nino couldn’t get out of work that night. So Marinette was alone. And damn, was she feeling it.

“How are you enjoying your first party in the fashion world?” a familiar voice asked.

Gabriel Agreste had silently approached and was holding out a new glass of wine for her, looking critically over the crowd. He glanced down to her, waiting for her answer.

She refused to lose face and admit how miserable she was, but did accept the wine. “Wonderfully. I haven’t had a single person genuinely like me all night, which means that they’re threatened by me and I have leverage. What about you, Mr. Agreste? I’m sure you’re enjoying having something occupy your night, what with all your free time lately.”

“As a matter of fact, Mrs. Dupain-Cheng, these parties are as routine for me as the rest of my work. It is as busy as ever at  _ Gabriel _ headquarters, as you could imagine, with the new winter line just recently released.” The bite in his voice let Marinette know that she was successful in getting under his skin, implying that he was a has-been.

“I'm sure, and it must be a completely different dynamic without your son to model all of your young men's pieces. He's doing wonderfully, by the way. He loves teaching.” If there was one thing she wanted to do at this awful party, it was make her father-in-law feel inferior. He pursed his lips, eyes narrowing. It only made her smile all the sweeter.

They stood in stiff silence for a few moments before Mr. Agreste's phone rang and he muttered something about it being important before he even looked to see who was calling. He answered, walking away from Marinette without sparing her a second glance.

Hopefully, she hadn't just tarnished her standing in the fashion world forever.

But to be perfectly realistic, she had just insulted one of the biggest names in fashion, the person whose designs she had grown up admiring, the person she all but worshipped in high school and tried so hard to impress. He had been the reason she’d had such a strong start when she graduated and began working as a designer. He was the one who helped her climb the ranks, and now that she had so quickly become so successful, she didn’t need him, and he didn’t have the desire to help her anymore. They were equals, and as such, they were competition. Marinette had already taken his son and tarnished his name. What more could she possibly do to this man? What more could she take from him? What would her next move be - to send him spiraling into failure and force him out of the industry? That wasn’t the person she wanted to be, that wasn’t the reputation she wanted to have. When had she become so numb? When had other people stopped mattering to her? Why was this job such a burden? When did it stop being enjoyable to the point that she felt the need to tear other people down? Why-

"Marinette!"   
  
An energetic voice snapped Marinette out of her trance. She turned and saw a small blond model running up to her, more deftly than Marinette would have expected in those heels.   
  
Managing a smile, Marinette whispered, "Thank goodness you're here Rose. Is Juleka with you?"   
  
Rose shook her head and swayed happily. "Jules doesn't like fashion parties, she said that they're too stuck-up for her." Her blue eyes widened as she realized what she said. "Not that you're stuck-up! You're great, that's just how Juleka sees these parties, it's not her thing." She bit her lip to keep herself from rambling.   
  
"Don't worry," Marinette replied, eyes sweeping over the high-class designers and models. "They are. I don't think that _Lucky Charm_ is meant to be at these events, we're not quite the same speed." She carefully avoided mentioning how stuck-up she had become since Mr. Agreste had made her as successful as she was.   
  
"You're right," Rose said with a smile. "But that's a good thing. _Lucky Charm_ is all about being comfortable with yourself and making your clothes personal to you, it's not about being better than everyone else."   
  
Her words made Marinette’s breath catch. Of course. She had branded clothing that way on purpose. Her goal had always been to help people be comfortable with themselves, no matter who they were or what they liked. No matter how successful or how popular.

What was she doing tearing down the one who had helped her get so far in the first place?

Marinette put an arm gently around Rose and asked, "How did I get such a good model? The best model I could ever ask for. I’m so lucky to have you.”   
  
Rose grinned and checked the time on her phone. "Give it like, twenty more minutes, and it'll be socially acceptable for you to leave. I can cover for you and make sure Mr. Agreste doesn't twist it to make you look like a jerk."   
  
Chuckling, Marinette said, "Thank you. But that would imply that I’m not a jerk." He had never actively tried to make himself her enemy. She was the one who had twisted it to make him look bad.

“You’re good, Marinette.” Rose’s kind tone put a knife directly through Marinette’s soul. “You’ve always been good and kind. Even if you do things that make you think you’re not, you’ve always been good at heart. It just might take a little bit to remember what’s deep inside you.” She laid her head on Marinette’s shoulder, and Marinette could barely contain the tears welling up behind her eyes. She blinked them away and hugged Rose tightly.

She made it fifteen minutes more, and decided that she couldn’t take it any longer. All she wanted was to cuddle up to Adrien in pajamas, being comfortable with herself, comfortable with him, and peaceful about their direction in life. He could help her get back to her roots and remind her of where she had come from, why she decided to do what she was doing. 

The moment Marinette got home and reached to change out of her dress, Adrien begged her to help grade the math tests he was due to hand back that Monday. Somehow, just being with him reassured her of what her intentions were in her career. And that, in her opinion, was a much better way to spend her night.


End file.
